


A Storm Of Fire

by EmrysTheMerlin



Series: Frozen Lightning [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/M, Fem! Barry Allen, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-06-08 22:06:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15253038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmrysTheMerlin/pseuds/EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: The man who killed Barry Allen's mother has finally resurfaced, and even with all her power she's not fast enough to stop him. She's determined to change that fact, no matter what it takes. But when new and old enemies surface will Barry live long enough to face her true enemy?





	1. One Week Later

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another transfer from Fan Fiction. But this one isn't finished. I'll do the same thing I'm doing with my other unfinished story here and do simultaneous updates.

One week had passed. One silent week, no new meta humans appeared, there was no more sign of Leonard Snart. And there had been no sign of the man in yellow since Christmas night. It was putting Barry on edge. She’d called Hal to check and see if Ferris Air was reopening their test strips in Central City. When he’d said that no they weren’t planning to Barry asked her friends if they would go with her to help her train. They had agreed, and that was how they found themselves out on the testing strip on this grey cloudy day. Cisco had wanted to try something new so Barry was chasing drones, trying to avoid the munitions she was sure she didn’t want to know how Cisco had gotten his hands on. She pulled to a stop for a second to try and spot the drone and was blasted off her feet. 

She landed hard on her front and pulled herself to her feet snatching up a rock as she did. She tossed it at the drone at super speed, tearing through the engine like it was made of paper. It spiraled and crashed as Caitlin cheered and Cisco swore setting off the other drone. Barry easily outstripped it and ducked to the side as it fired one of its rockets. Then she turned to face the drone stopping completely. Cisco hesitated but let loose the second missile. Barry moved so fast only Dr. Wells saw what she was actually doing. She raced towards the missile as Caitlin held back a scream. Barry dodged slightly to the left at the last moment wrapping both hands around the projectile, she used her momentum to turn the missile back towards its drone. She let go, letting the missile fly into the drone which went up in a large bright explosion. Caitlin cheered louder and Cisco swore good naturedly. Dr. Wells clapped. He had been worried for a moment that she wasn’t ready to pull off something like that. He’d protested the drones heavily, especially when Cisco revealed that the missiles were live. He still needed her alive. Caitlin had also been against it but Barry had overruled them. She needed to get faster, she wasn’t going to be able to beat the man who’d killed her mother if she didn’t get faster. 

Flush with victory Barry trotted over to them before pulling her mask back the shadow of a smile still lingering on her face. She flopped into one of the chairs they had set up and Caitlin opened a crate next to her. It was full of food, most of it from Big Belly Burger. Barry grinned and snagged a burger as Cisco began to fiddle with the three remaining drones. Barry spoke with her mouth full as she pulled an iPad towards herself. 

“Alright back to the map.” She pulled up the map they had been working on as she finished inhaling the burger in her hand. Despite his protests they were looking for Ronnie. The only problem was that none of them really had an idea how to find him. For the moment they were trying to track unusually high heat signatures. That had given them a few old trails to track but it had yet to lead to Ronnie himself. Ten minutes later Barry tossed aside the last box from the crate and set aside the iPad. 

“Well no new heat trails but we aren’t giving up.” Caitlin smiled at Barry. Dr. Wells nodded at them.

“No we wont give up but you’re doing well Barry. Your reaction times to stimuli at super speeds are already getting faster.” Barry nodded but there was a frown on her face. 

“It’s not enough.” Dr. Wells leaned forwards in his wheelchair laying a hand on her arm. 

“It will be, you keep working the way you are, keep focused the way you are and you will be ready next time the man in the yellow suit comes around.” She forced a smile and nodded at him. Cisco grinned slightly.

“I think you mean the Reverse Flash.” Barry gave him an unimpressed look. He raised his hands in surrender. 

“Hey he said it not me, but it works so well! A dude in a yellow suit with a red lightning bolt, plus he’s evil! The reverse of you!” Barry and Caitlin shook their heads at him but Dr. Wells was smiling. 

“I like it.” Cisco beat the air in triumph and Barry snorted a laugh. She got to her feet flashing over to the edge of the test track where they had their supplies set up. 

“Alright I’m ready for round two, Cisco fire up those drones!” Cisco grinned snatching up his controller. 

“These ones have lasers!” He said in a singsong voice. Caitlin and Dr. Wells both turned to him.

“No!” He sighed and set two of the drones into the air. The four of them spent several more hours out on the test track before they packed it in and went back to Star Labs. Dr. Wells was worried, he would only ever admit it to himself, but he was worried. Barry was working herself ragged. She wasn’t eating as much as she should for the amount of energy she was using, she hadn’t started fainting again yet but she would soon if they weren’t careful. He insisted on a full medical workup that night and made her eat two extra protein bars Cisco had made for her. They’d had a kitchen added to Star Labs after the first month or so and Cisco had making the protein bars down to an exact science, he was starting to experiment with different flavors too. Barry was more than happy to try all of these experiments. She went home exhausted that night. Little did she know someone was expecting her across town. 

 

Leonard Snart frowned at the still air around them. Then he heard the sirens. His eyes narrowed. 

“She’s not coming.” Mick Rory growled under his breath as they got back into the car Len had ‘borrowed’. 

“You promised I’d get to set something on fire.” Len nodded. 

“You will. We’ll just have to go with plan b to get her out of where ever it is she’s hiding.” Mick grinned. He liked plan b, plan b meant Lisa’s plan would work. Plan b meant Len might get laid, and maybe that would dislodge the stick up his ass. Mick could only hope.


	2. Focus

Barry got the call early the next morning and raced off to the warehouse. She was laying out the shattered pieces of the door when Joe stepped over to her. 

“What to you have?” Barry sighed. 

“The breakage indicates that the door had no viscoelasticity when it was struck.” Joe frowned, Barry sighed. “The metal was shattered, like it was glass. To do that it had to be made so brittle that the car that bashed into it would destroy it. That can only be done at beyond sub zero temperatures.” She picked up a piece of the metal and held it out for Joe to see pointing at the edges.

“This metal was flash frozen.” Joe frowned. 

“What does that mean though?” Barry sighed. 

“Flash freezing metal can’t be done easily, to do this I’d say you’d have to reach absolute zero.” Joe’s eyes went wide.

“Snart?” Barry nodded, Joe swore. Eddie who had been listening frowned. 

“I thought Snart was a world class thief? All these expensive cars, and he didn’t take anything? Why?” Barry shook her head. Joe turned to Eddie.

“Partner, put out an APB on Snart.” Eddie nodded and walked away. Barry shook her head. 

“He wasn’t here for cars Joe. He was here for me. The Flash.” She said speaking quietly. Joe nodded steering Barry out of the room. 

 

Len was looking up his next mark. She was pretty but she was also the friend of a friend, he’d handle her abduction then, Mick was a bit heavy handed with things like this. No sense hurting her if he didn’t have to. Mick was excited about the painting and that was all that mattered at the moment. He glanced over at his phone again. He’d been doing that every so often from the moment they set foot back in Central.

“Your pretty CSI isn’t going to call you unless you call her first. Make an effort, maybe she likes bad boys.” Len rolled his eyes and looked back down at his computer. 

 

“Captain Cold is back?” Dr. Wells shook his head. 

“For a non meta human Leonard Snart is making quite the nemesis of himself.” Caitlin laid a hand on Barry’s shoulder. 

“Iris better not find out or she’ll probably take care of him herself.” Barry allowed herself a small grin. Dr. Wells looked thoughtful. 

“Maybe something like that would be better.” Barry raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” Dr. Wells steepled his fingers. 

“We don’t have you up to speed yet. We can help the police handle Snart, you need to keep focused.” Barry nodded slightly, glancing over at the Flash costume on its mannequin, then at Dr. Wells. 

“And you’re sure that the police will be able to handle them?” Dr. Wells nodded to Cisco who showed her the shields they’d worked up. Once she’d been shown that it worked and worked well she nodded and went to try and beat her record on the treadmill. Dr. Wells continued to talk with her over the intercom as he watched her vitals closely. 

“It could be that if the Flash never shows, if you never give Snart the fight he’s looking for he’ll back off. He may believe that the Flash has disappeared.” Barry pulled to a halt and nodded slightly reaching for her water bottle.

“Maybe.” Somehow she couldn’t see Len backing off of something he wanted, ever. Especially after the rose she’d found on her doorstep. She still hadn’t told Joe about it either. She frowned to herself as she took a swig from her water and got back on the treadmill. She sighed loudly as she thought. Then she shook her head again. She had to focus, she had to get faster, even if she couldn’t get Leonard Snart’s stupid face out of her mind.


	3. Distrust

Joe raised an eyebrow at Dr. Wells. Something wasn’t right, Barry wasn’t acting like herself. ‘This is a matter of priority.’ That’s what she’d said when he’d asked why she wasn’t facing Snart herself. Then not ten minutes later the same words had dropped from Dr. Wells’ mouth. Then it all made sense. Barry wasn’t herself, she was Dr. Wells’ toy at the moment and that left a sour taste in his mouth. He knew she wouldn’t listen to him, not without some very hard proof, he was her childhood hero after all. He had a lot of work to do. 

 

Barry headed back to Star Labs after she and Cisco had presented the new riot shields to Captain Singh. Caitlin was leaning over the computer.

“Hey Caitlin. What’s firestorm?” Caitlin jumped and looked up smiling slightly, but there were tears in her eyes. 

“One of the last things Ronnie said to me before he… flew away. My dead fiancé can fly. Haven’t broken that to my parents yet.” She laughed slightly around tears. Barry laid a hand on her shoulder. 

“Yeah life’s pretty weird these days.” Caitlin squeezed her hand. 

“I’m not the only one having problems these days though. How are you doing?” Barry shrugged. 

“Well my ex is back in town, sending me flowers. Also trying to pick a fight with me, even though he doesn’t know it’s me he’s trying to pick a fight with. My sister thinks I’m a spaz because I keep not showing up, I keep not telling her things. And I do it to keep her safe from the psychopath who killed my mother. So you know, a regular Tuesday.” Caitlin laughed, slightly. 

“Yep, another normal Tuesday at Star Labs.” She sighed. “Maybe normal is overrated though. Every day before I met Ronnie was predictable, I knew what everything would always be. But when Ronnie and I got together he made me do all things I’d never thought I could do. We went scuba diving, I never ever thought I could do that, I was always scared of sharks and stingrays, he held my hand while I petted one.” Barry laughed. 

“I think I’ll like Ronnie.” Barry stood from where she was leaning and then paused. 

“What’s wrong?” Barry turned back to the computer.

“Scuba. Caitlin what if Firestorm isn’t a name of something. What if it’s an acronym?” Caitlin’s eyes widened and she turned back to the computer in front of her. Her fingers flew across the page. Soon a new page was pulled up.

“Fusion Ignition Research Experiment and Science of Transmutation Originating RNA and Molecular Structures.” Caitlin whistled. Barry nodded. 

“Hell of a mouthful.” Caitlin began at the table of contents for what Barry easily recognized as a scientific thesis. The redhead frowned. 

“It’s over eight hundred pages.” Barry nodded and scooted in front of the screen. She took a deep breath and began to read. Caitlin watched as page after page flew by in a blur. Barry’s eyes blurred in time with the pages, the effect was a little creepy as Barry’s iris and pupil blurred to the point where they were no longer discernible at all. But in a moment she was leaning back again. She sighed. 

“There’s a lot of information in there but it mostly focuses on transmutation, which is the process of altering the structure of an element by unzipping the atoms…” Caitlin nodded. 

“And rebuilding them into an entirely new element.” Barry nodded.

“The article was co-written by Professor Martin Stein and Jason Rush. No one’s seen Stein since the particle accelerator exploded but Rush is a student here at Hudson University. Maybe he knows what happened to Ronnie.” Caitlin nodded. 

“You might be right.” Barry smiled, the first genuine smile Caitlin had seen since Christmas. 

“Either way it’s a step forwards.” They nodded at each other and Caitlin hugged her friend. Across town the Rathaway’s were exiting their private jet to quite the surprise. 

 

Mick was beyond angry. They had the painting, it was worth millions they would be set for some time. But Len wasn’t happy. Len wouldn’t be happy until they had the Flash under their boots. 

“Take the painting if you want. But if you want Central City to be our home, our playground, we need to get rid of the Flash.” Mick stared at him for a moment before his face lit up in a grin and he aimed his gun at the painting and fired. It went up quickly and he turned back to Len who was smiling. 

“Let’s get started.” 

 

Barry had decided to walk most of the way home from Star Labs tonight. She had too much on her mind to run, she needed more time to think about it but no matter what she did her mind kept swinging back around to the morning before she’d found out that Len was a criminal. They had had quite the energetic night before hand and she’d once again fallen asleep in his arms. She’d woken up alone but smelled something wonderful from the kitchen. She’d sat up holding her blanket over herself and smiled at the sight of Len in his snowflake boxers standing in front of her stove flipping pancakes. He’d smiled at her the big genuine smile that made her heart do flip flops. He’d made her a towering stack of pancakes. 

“Morning Blue Barry.” He’d said expertly flipping the last pancake off the skillet onto the plate. He pulled the syrup out of the microwave and set the plates on the table.

“Breakfast is served, blue berry pancakes. Clothes are optional.” Barry had laughed but kept herself wrapped in her blanket as she’d made her way over to the table. She’d poured syrup over her pancakes and dug in. He’d smiled.

“I have a meeting later this afternoon, when do you go into work?” Barry had taken a huge bite of pancake and spoke around a mouthful of food. 

“Shouldn’t have to unless I get called in.” Len had nodded holding back a laugh. 

“You’re too cute Blue Barry.” She had swallowed her bite and blushed. They’d had a wonderful morning cuddling and watching old episodes of Star Trek. Barry shook herself, she was almost home. She pulled her jacket a little tighter around herself as she reached her building. Then she heard something, someone moaning in the alley. She paused, peeking down the alley. It was dark but she could clearly make out a figure laying in the alley. The moan sounded again.

“Hello?” The only response was another moan. Barry stepped further into the alley.

“Are you ok?” The figure shuddered. Barry paused and then stepped forwards to the crouched figure. He was shuddering like he was in pain in his brown coat, it looked almost like a fireman’s coat. Barry reached out to tap him on the shoulder when he lunged grabbing her by her wrist. She was about to scream when something metal smacked her in the back of the head and her world went black. 

 

Mick laughed as he hefted the unconscious CSI over his shoulder. He hefted his gun in the other hand. 

“Oh I love this thing.” He laid the CSI in the back seat of the car he was using and buckled her in.


	4. Unanswered Calls

Joe tried Barry four times before he went to Star Labs. She didn’t answer one of his calls. It wasn’t like her. He arrived at Star Labs to find Cisco locking up for the night. The Latino frowned at Joe’s worried expression. 

“What happened? Did Snart attack again?” Joe nodded, Cisco bounced slightly. 

“Did the shields work!?” Joe nodded. 

“Yeah against Snart’s gun, but we have another problem. Snart has a partner. He’s got some kind of hand held flamethrower.” Cisco went pale. Joe followed him as he rushed down into the basement, the place they kept all the old equipment and things that weren’t really of use anymore. Cisco tore into one of the metal cabinets and dug through it with fervor before swearing loudly and backing away his hands in his hair. Joe steadied him. 

“Did Star Labs make the heat gun too?” Cisco sniffled and nodded. 

“I didn’t notice it was missing, the cold gun was more important at the time, but it’s probably been gone just as long. I don’t know. Did anybody die?” Joe shook his head. 

“No, we got lucky this time. We need Barry, but she’s not answering her phone.” Cisco frowned. 

“She left here nearly two hours ago.” Joe nodded. 

“Think you can find her on your CCTV link that I am totally unaware of.” Cisco managed a chuckle and nodded. He led Joe back up to the Cortex. Joe was still getting used to this place. It always felt so much like a ghost town, especially with just him and Cisco in the building. 

“Where are Caitlin and Doctor Wells?” Cisco flopped into one of the chairs and pulled himself up to the computer. 

“Dr. Wells went home early, said he wasn’t feeling well. It’s probably just a cold though, he’ll be fine. Caitlin went to Jitters she should be back soon.” Joe nodded. Three hours passed before they realized something was definitely off. Cisco couldn’t find Barry on any CCTVs around town and Caitlin wasn’t answering her cellphone. Joe’s phone rang and he snatched it up, hoping against hope to see Barry’s phone number on the screen. But it was Eddie calling him. He swore under his breath and answered.

“Detective West.” There was a sigh. 

“Joe, we got a call a few minutes ago, a disturbance at Jitters. We think someone got kidnapped.” Joe’s heart fell. His first thought was Iris but she wasn’t working tonight, it was one of her rare days off. Before he could speak though Eddie continued. 

“There’s something else, the car. CSI is saying it was flash frozen, there’s still a three inch layer of ice on it. We’re running the plates now.” Joe swore, Cisco frowned. 

“Barry confirmed it?” He asked hoping she’d just broken her phone or something. 

“No. No one can get ahold of her.” Joe held in the swear that pulled at his lips and nodded. 

“I’ll be there in a few partner.” Joe stood. Cisco was still frowning, and it only deepened as Joe explained what was happening. Cisco went paler as he scrambled to snatch up his phone. 

“Caitlin was at Jitters!” He said as he tried her number again only for it to ring through to voicemail. Joe frowned. 

“Why would Snart even know who Caitlin is?” Cisco laid his head down on the table in front of him. 

“Because he’s seen us. Me, Caitlin and Felicity. We helped Barry stop him.” He explained the end of Barry’s fight with Snart at the train station to Joe. Joe frowned. 

“It’s possible. See if you can’t get into the CCTV around Jitters. But what about Barry, why isn’t she answering her phone?” Cisco grimaced. 

“Maybe Snart took her too. He had to know she spends a shitload of time here. Maybe he figured out that we work with the Flash.” Joe frowned. 

“Why would Snart know anything about Barry?” Cisco paled when he realized his mistake. Barry hadn’t told Joe she’d dated the now infamous criminal. He had no choice but to tell the detective everything he knew though as he hacked into the CCTV around the Jitters in question. Joe swore. 

“You keep looking for them, do anything you can. I have to get to the crime scene.” Cisco nodded and began to type faster as Joe left the Cortex.

 

Caitlin was slightly panicked. She’d finally gotten Jason Rush, the co author of the firestorm to speak to her which had ended in a very paranoid and yet rational warning to keep away from the whole thing. But then she’d walked out to her car and nearly been blasted by the cold gun Cisco had created what felt like years ago while she was digging for her keys. Now she was being forced out of the van she’d been bundled into by Barry’s ex boyfriend at what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Another car was parked nearby, empty. Caitlin felt Snart’s gun poke her in the back and walked into the warehouse. She gasped at the sight that met her.

Barry was slumped in a chair, her hands cuffed to each other a length of rope around her shoulders securing her to the chair. Her head was tilted back and her eyes were closed. Caitlin made to rush forwards but Snart caught her by the arm. 

 

Len was glad that Dr. Snow couldn’t see his face. He hated showing surprise or weakness but he knew Mick had seen both in his face when his eyes landed on Barry tied to the chair, out cold. He wanted to shout at Mick but now wasn’t the time and he didn’t want to lose face in front of his hostage, well now hostages he supposed. He passed Dr. Snow off to Mick and gave him a warning look before watching him leave the room. Only then did he quickstep over to Barry. 

He gently tilted her head forwards, she was a little pale but looked mostly unharmed. He gently felt the back of her head. There was a good sized goose egg there and a tiny bit of blood but not enough for the blow to have been fatal. Her pulse was a bit fast but steady and regular. He breathed a sigh of relief. He heard Mick chuckle as the door closed behind him. 

“Lisa’s right you do got it bad.” Len turned on his heel drawing his gun in one fluid motion. He and Mick stared each other down for a moment before he took a deep breath and let his gun lower to his side, re-holstering it.

“This wasn’t part of the plan Mick.” Mick nodded, a smile still pulling at his lips. 

“I did say I’d do this for your birthday, I’m a bit early but hey it’s the thought that counts right?” Len rolled his eyes turning back to Barry. He brushed her long brown hair out of her face and sighed. He could work with this, there was no way he was going to let her get hurt though, this had already gone off plan enough. 

“Set up the equipment for the broadcast. Let’s trap us a speedster.” Mick nodded a grin on his face. Len couldn’t help but notice the gold chain around Barry’s neck as Mick moved around behind him. Gently he pulled on it, revealing a very familiar gold locket. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged on his face.


	5. Demands

Joe was close to hand ringing levels of worry. He’d tried Barry four more times, still nothing. He’d had Eddie try calling her, even Captain Singh had called her directly. Still nothing, and he had to keep the worry off his face. If anyone at the precinct found out that Barry had dated an arch criminal, well there was no telling what news like that could do to her reputation and her career. So Joe kept his mouth shut as he tapped on his keyboard. 

 

Barry’s world was fuzzy when it came back into focus. Her head was pounding and she groaned slightly and tried to raise a hand to it but found herself unable to move her arms from where they were pinned behind her back. There was a kink in her neck muscle, she only realized this as she sat bolt upright her neck making an unpleasant cracking sound as she jerked it forwards. A hand rested itself on her shoulder.

“It’s ok. You’re safe… Well relatively.” Barry looked up and met the ice blue eyes of the man she’d really hoped she wasn’t going to see again. Well part of her had hoped that, another part of her had missed the way his eyes glinted in dim light, like they were right now. But her head gave another sharp throb and brought her attention away from his very nice eyes to the more pressing matters, like how she’d gotten wherever she was in the first place. Something cold was pressed to the back of her head and she groaned as the ice soothed the ache. 

“Sorry about the rough handling. Not part of the plan, you were never part of this plan, but plans don’t always go the way we want them to.” Barry glared at him, which was made easy as he was only a few inches away from her face. His hand not holding the ice pack to the lump on her head had made its way from her shoulder to her neck and she tensed slightly. But his hand didn’t wrap around her neck. Instead one long finger traced the side of the long expanse of skin before catching the collar of her shirt and tugging gently. Barry tensed further but his fingers didn’t quest further. One of them wrapped around the gold chain around her neck and pulled her locket into full view. 

“I see you got my gift. I’m glad you liked it.” Len grinned at the slight pink tinge on Barry’s cheeks. He let his hand fall back to her shoulder. Barry tilted her head away from him and he sighed taking his hands away, bringing the ice pack with him. Barry still looked a touch in pain but her big hazel eyes were clear as they darted around the room. 

“Where am I?” Her voice was slightly horse and Len almost smiled but held it in as he took another step back. 

“Can’t tell you that. What I can tell you is that no matter what I say in the next half an hour or so no harm will come to you. You have my word Barry.” Barry rolled her eyes at him.

“Yeah cause your word means so much.” Len stepped back over to her gently turning her chin so she was forced to face him. 

“Barry I didn’t know you worked for the police. I was never using you. No more than you were me. I never meant to hurt you, I’m sorry that I did. But it happened and that cant be avoided. And my idiot partner found out and brought you here. So I’m going to do what I always do when situations don’t go my way, I’m going to turn it to my advantage. But I won’t hurt you.” He wanted to lean forwards, to catch another fleeting taste of the storm that lived behind those hazel eyes but he restrained himself. He kept eye contact with her for another moment before he leaned back and grabbed a roll of duct tape off the table that sat nearby. He opened the roll and yanked a piece off with his teeth. 

“I really am sorry Barry.” Barry glared at him as he gently placed the piece of tape over her mouth. Only then did he turn away from her fully. 

“Alright Mick, bring in the good doctor.” Barry’s eyebrows shot up at that and she began to struggle again as the man she’d seen in the alleyway dragged Caitlin into the room. Caitlin looked relieved that she was awake but scared. Barry fought the handcuff harder as Len switched on a video camera. 

 

Captain Singh poked his head out of his office, a remote in his hand. 

“Quiet down everybody!” The bullpen went quiet as the Captain switched over to Central City’s News Channel. The pretty redhead reporter was speaking solemnly. 

“This video was submitted to the station mere moments ago.” The feed changed to what had to be a handheld camera. A familiar face made Joe sit up straight. Leonard Snart was grinning into the camera, his eyes shaded by the glasses he had worn when using his new gun.

“Greetings citizens of Central City. I’m Leonard Snart, but you can call me Cold.” Joe could barely see Caitlin in the background struggling in the grip of the pyromaniac from the night before. They’d just gotten his prints back in, his name was Mick Rory and he was bad news. Joe stood from his desk as the recording of Leonard Snart continued. 

“I’m going to make this very simple for everyone. That red streak you’ve been hearing whispers about for the past few months. The one saving people all over the city? She’s real. Calls herself the Flash. Porter and Main, tonight, sundown. Come out, come out wherever you are Flash. Show the rest of the world you’re real, or this woman dies.” Caitlin made to say something but Mick slapped a hand over her mouth as Len maneuvered the camera away from them. 

“Oh and if the Central City Police Department gets any bright ideas about setting up a trap or helping the Scarlet Speedster tonight, well I have a surprise for you. You might have already noticed she’s missing, but I doubt it. The people behind the scenes are always the ones most taken for granted after all.” The whole precinct seemed to be glancing around, wondering who he was talking about as the bottom dropped out of Joe’s stomach. Eddie seemed to have realized who he was talking about too for he’d gone white as a sheet of wax paper. The camera turned and the whole precinct seemed to gasp at the sight of Barry Allen, tied to a chair a piece of silver tape over her mouth, glaring daggers at her captor.

“Any of you badges interfere tonight, she dies.” Barry’s eyes went wide and the footage cut out. Joe wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the precinct so quiet.


	6. Movement

Len smiled to himself as he flicked through the channels, every news station was playing his video, news that the Scarlet Speedster had been directly called out had spread through the city like wildfire. So many people were trying to get to Porter and Main to see if the rumors were true that the police had been forced to cordon off the area early. Len glanced at his watch. If they were going to be on time they needed to head out now. He turned to Barry who was still glaring at him.

“Oh don’t look at me like that. I told you not to take my threats seriously. I’m not going to hurt you, the Flash is another story. I need her out of the way.” Barry kept on glaring, unable to speak because of the tape still over her mouth. Len sighed. 

“I really am sorry Barry.” He sighed and tucked his gun into its holster as he called out to Mick, who was waving his lighter in front of Caitlin. The two men left, Len briefly glancing back at Barry as the door shut behind them. He sighed. 

“You rigged the door?” He asked Mick who nodded, a wicked smile on his face. Len got into the drivers side of the car and glanced back at the building. He couldn’t help but hope that the next people through those doors was them. He started the car and drove off. 

 

Barry was starting to get annoyed. She still had tape over her mouth and Caitlin had been gagged with her own scarf. Barry glanced around to make sure they were really alone, of course they were. Len was heading off for his date… fight, not date, fight with the Flash. Whom he’d left tied up god knew where. She sighed as she began to vibrate her hands trying to get the cuffs off. No luck but the rope around her shoulder had begun to smolder against the friction so she pushed against that instead. It crumbled under the heat leaving charred holes in her shirt. She stood and kicked off the remains of the ropes round her ankles and made a muffled noise to let Caitlin know she had moved. Caitlin’s head jerked towards the door. Barry spotted the wire just as she heard a car pull up outside. 

Barry sped over to Caitlin and silently apologized as she maneuvered behind her friend and took the rope that bound her hands between her fingers and began to vibrate it. It crumbled under her fingers with the slight sting of fire as someone tried the door. Caitlin ripped the gag from her mouth as the door burst open.

“Get down!” Caitlin shouted it as time slowed around Barry. She shoved Caitlin away from the pack of thermal explosives rigged to the door and raced through the flames shoving the figure at the door to the ground. The blast was quick, up and out in a flash of flames. Barry glanced down at the figure she was laying on and let out a muffled sigh of relief. It was Joe, unharmed by the blast of fire. Cisco peeked beyond them and crept into the room helping Caitlin pull herself to her feet. 

Joe levered Barry so she was sitting up, her knees bent under her. He apologized as he ripped the tape off her mouth. She swore lightly and worked her jaw. He helped her all the way to her feet as Cisco helped Caitlin out of the warehouse. Joe pulled out a walkie talkie. 

“Hostages are secure.” A sigh of relief sounded back over the coms and Captain Singh’s voice echoed over the device. 

“Good, get them somewhere safe, while we deal with Snart and Rory.” Joe nodded as Cisco took a pair of wire cutters from his tool kit in the van to the cuffs around Barry’s wrists. 

“I’ll take them to Star Labs. They should be safe there.” Cisco handed Barry a protein bar which she scarfed as the Captain gave an affirmative and ended the conversation. Joe glanced at Barry and Caitlin. 

“You two ok?” Barry nodded, Caitlin following suit but the redhead looked shaken. Barry looked determined though. Joe motioned for her to load up into the van but she shook her head.

“No. He’s not gonna stop. Not till he gets what he wants. So that’s what I’m gonna give him. Snart’s got an overdue lesson coming from the Flash.” Joe caught Barry’s hand. 

“We will be talking about Snart later, but you know that there are camera crews and half the precinct waiting where he wants you. If you do this the whole world finds out that the Flash is real. You up for that?” Barry smiled lightly as Cisco opened a compartment on the van, revealing her meticulously folded suit.

“I guess we’ll find out.” In a flash of lightning the clothes that Barry had been wearing were in the place of her suit and the Flash sped off across Central City as the moon began to peek over the city’s skyline.

Len grinned at the line of police with their new swat shields as he and Mick sauntered onto the scene. No streak of lightning was here for all to see, not yet. He frowned slightly. He knew she was still in town, he’d kept an ear to the ground, waiting. If she was going to keep him waiting this was going to get messy. He lazily aimed his gun at one of the more ambitious reporters who’d strayed too close to the police line. He fingered the trigger for a minute. Then he fired. 

 

Captain Singh wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it. He’d been on the fence about the Flash for weeks. At first he hadn’t believed that she was real, then more and more evidence had piled up. He wasn’t one to ignore evidence. So he’d grudgingly admitted that she might, might be real. But as all of the police officers lunged forwards a blast of air and lightning raced through their line, plucking the reporter out of harms way, setting him well behind them and racing back through them, this time breaking the police tape. One of his officers cried out in astonishment, but Singh’s focus was fixed on the figure who had pulled to a halt between the officers and the two men. She was dressed in what looked like head to toe red leather. From where he stood the police captain could make out a symbol on her chest, a golden lightning bolt in a circle. She had a long brown ponytail sticking out the back of her mask that seemed to crackle with electricity. Her eyes too crackled with that gold lightning and her voice resonated power as she spoke.

“Waiting for me?” Her voice didn’t sound human, it reverberated through the block that the police had blocked off. Leonard Snart smiled wide, his teeth flashing in the streetlights as cameras began to click from the upper levels of the buildings around them.


	7. The Fight

Eddie could barely believe what he was watching. The two criminals fired on the woman in red, she raced out of the way, lightning chasing her heels as she skidded to a stop on the other side of the pair of criminals. The fight was a little hard to follow. The Flash had a hard time standing still, instead she raced around the two men, her lightning trail the only sign of her passage. She seemed to have shoved Snart slightly. He stumbled as Rory snarled and cackled as he fired a stream of fire after the lightning bolt. Snart was looking a little miffed as he straightened his coat. 

“Run on this Flash!” He snarled as he aimed his gun at the sidewalk which froze over in seconds a pipe burst and water plumed out and froze instantly. The impromptu sculpture glimmered in the streetlights for all of two seconds before the streak of lightning slammed into it and a figure in red went tumbling behind a car, disappearing behind it. Rory laughed loudly as he set the car ablaze and the figure ducked out from behind it. Eddie couldn’t tell at this distance but he though he saw her mouth, the only part of her face that was visible, moving almost like she was talking to someone. 

 

Barry was running low on patience. She could feel the bruise from where she’d slipped and fell behind the car healing, minor burns on her face already healing but she needed to figure out how to take them down. 

“Did we ever figure out a weak spot for these two?” She questioned hoping Dr. Wells was on the other end. She breathed a sigh of relief as he answered. 

“Well Cisco and I had a theory worked out, but I’m not sure it would work.” Barry dodged behind another car, she was running out of cover. 

“I’ll take what I can get at this point.” Barry ran as Len fired a blast of ice at the car. She dove as the other man fired a blast of fire at her, she barely missed singeing her hair. 

“Snart’s gun reaches absolute cold, the other man, Mick Rory, his gun achieves what Cisco calls absolute hot, a ridiculous concept but almost apt. Put the two together.” Barry nodded. 

“They’ll cancel each other out.” With an affirmative answer from Dr. Wells Barry sped back off. 

 

Captain Singh wasn’t sure what this woman was trying to do but whatever it was it wasn’t working very well. He swore as the Flash raced up the side of a glass building. He turned to his officers. 

“The fights spreading beyond the evacuation zone. We need to get the people out of that building.” Detective Thawne shook his head. 

“No, sir with all due respect we cant let this spread.” They flinched slightly as another car went up in flames. This time the Flash was thrown from behind the car and landed on her back. Thawne snatched a shield from one of the swat guys and raced forwards. Captain Singh made to grab him but missed as one of his best detectives dove in front of the Flash the Star Labs riot shield the only thing between him and certain death. 

 

Eddie wasn’t sure what he was thinking, diving between the hero and the villians both of whom were firing at him now. But Joe had said the hostages were safe and if the Flash lost this fight there would be little to nothing that the CCPD could do to stop these men, let alone the man in yellow. This city needed the Flash. So he glanced back at her and saw surprise in bright lightning filled eyes. She hadn’t expected anyone to intercede. The pyro laughed. 

“Guess you don’t give a shit about your little CSI.” He pulled something out of the pocket of his coat with the hand not on his guns trigger. A slim metal object, a detonator. He cackled as the officers behind them shouted protests. Eddie felt the Flash snag him by his collar and suddenly he wasn’t in the middle of the road anymore, the very warm shield, was on the ground. He swore nursing his hand as he raced to the edge of the partition on the opposite side of the street from the other officers. He could just see Iris standing at Captain Singh’s side looking worried. The Flash had her back to him, but he could almost hear her speaking and something about the voice was familiar. All he caught was the end of a sentence though. 

“It’s slowing down.” He had no idea what that meant until she raced forwards again, but this time much more slowly than before. He could make out the figure in the lightning that surrounded her. Clearly the two villains could see her too for they shot in unison, trapping her between two beams, one of fire and one of ice. Eddie was convinced they were lost, not even the Flash could survive that. But then she dove forwards somersaulting to her feet just past the two villains. The blasts from their guns connected and the explosion rocked the whole street sending Eddie stumbling as the two men went flying. The Flash stood, her costume looking half charred and half frozen but the lightning bolt still glinted as she stepped down on Leonard Snart’s gun as Captain Singh closed in with several other officers to arrest Mick Rory. 

“I admit it. I wasn’t expecting that. You got me this time.” The Flash shook her head, somehow her hair still looked perfect, Eddie wasn’t even going to think about that. 

“There wont be a next time Snart.” Mick Rory roared finally pressing the button on the detonator in his hand. There was a distant explosion. Snart went pale as Eddie advanced his gun pointed at the other man. 

“You’ll be unhappy to know that an officer of ours teamed up with Star Labs and rescued your hostages before the fight even started.” Eddie said pulling out his cuffs. Eddie missed the sigh of relief Len let out under his breath but Barry didn’t. But she didn’t want to think about it right now so instead she inclined her head towards Eddie. 

“Thank you detective.” And like that she raced away, back to Star Labs.


	8. Brave

Barry sped back to Star Labs and quickly changed back into the outfit she’d been wearing when she was taken by Len’s pyro buddy. She walked into the Cortex to a smattering of applause from Cisco, Caitlin, and Joe. Dr. Wells simply smiled. She grinned and Joe hushed them and answered his ringing phone. 

“Detective West. Yes. Yes, they’re right here. Yes. Alright Captain, we’ll be there in a few minutes.” Joe hung up and nodded to Barry and Caitlin. 

“Ladies are you feeling up to going to the station and giving your statements?” Barry nodded and Caitlin followed suit. The three of them piled into Joe’s car and spent the drive to the precinct getting their story straight. Joe didn’t bring up Barry’s relationship with Len, but she knew there was going to be no getting out of that particular conversation. But for the moment he seemed content to send her the occasional knowing look. He led them into the bullpen to loud cheers. Barry was mobbed by hugs and backslaps. Everyone babbled about how worried they’d been when Mick Rory had pushed the trigger on the detonator. Barry couldn’t help the grin on her face as she snagged a seat next to Caitlin who was giving Joe her statement. When she finished talking the doctor turned to Barry a small smile on her face. 

“I see why you love working here, it’s like one big family.” Barry nodded and smiled as another officer patted her on the shoulder. Georgia stuck her head into the bullpen, shooting a grin Barry’s way before clearing her throat and speaking loudly.

“Prisoners incoming, clear the way.” Several officers moved out of the way as applause rang out as Mick Rory was escorted into the bullpen, roaring and snarling. He managed to momentarily break free of the officers grip and Barry shot to her feet, sidestepping so she was between the man and Caitlin. The redhead shot Barry a grateful look as several officers got the pyro back under control and dragged him off to the holding cells. 

Leonard Snart was far more docile, not even struggling against the officer who was escorting him. His eyes met Barry’s and she saw his shoulders relax. Joe stepped between them, glaring at the criminal. Barry spotted Cisco over Officer Vougavich’s shoulder. 

“Your partner’s got quite the temper Snart.” Joe stated, crossing his arms in front of himself. Len smiled. 

“Yes, he’s always been a bit of a hothead.” Barry really did try not to laugh at the pun but only managed to let out a slightly suppressed snort. Len’s eyes glittered as he glanced over Joe’s shoulder. 

“Cute and a sense of humor. Rare in a police station.” Barry glared, the rest of the precinct had gone quiet. Joe stepped forwards, a touch closer to the criminal. 

“You wanna know what’s really funny Snart? We got you.” Len’s smile didn’t falter. Officer Vougavitch began to lead him away but he spoke as he walked. 

“I’ll say this about the CCPD, your officers are almost as brave as your CSIs. Almost.” Barry turned bright red as she stared after him, incredulous. Cisco patted her on the shoulder and she jumped as Eddie came up behind them holding the heat and cold guns gingerly. He handed them over to Cisco who set them down into a tub from Star Labs he’d brought with him and set on Joe’s desk. 

“We won’t be needing these for the trial. You’ll…” Cisco nodded snapping a lid onto the tub. 

“They’ll never hurt anyone ever again.” Eddie nodded as Captain Singh stepped over to him. Barry tensed for a moment but her boss simply held out a hand to shake. 

“Thank you, Mr. Ramone.” Barry grinned at her friend as he shook her boss’s hand. She was about to step over to them when someone nearly bowled her off her feet. A familiar mass of wavy black hair in her face told her who it was sobbing into her collar. 

“Iris…” Iris gripped her tighter. Barry wrapped her arms around her sister. Joe had returned and patted Barry on the shoulder. Iris pulled her father into the hug. They stood there for a moment just letting themselves enjoy that they were all alive.


	9. Friends

It took a few moments for the small family to separate. They smiled at each other as Caitlin and Cisco took their leave, heading out to Star Labs. Joe, Barry and Iris all loaded into Joe’s car and headed for home. With everything that had happened Barry had almost forgotten that Iris was moving out in two days. There were boxes everywhere. Barry took a step and something squashy met her foot. She looked down and grabbed the turtle off the floor. She held it up and Iris laughed. 

“Aww. Mcsnurtle the turtle.” Barry laughed handing the turtle to Iris. Iris grinned and pulled Barry into another hug. When she pulled back she stepped over to the couch. 

“I found something of yours in my stuff while I was packing. I tried to call you earlier but you were busy getting kidnapped again.” Iris picked up a red backpack and held it out to her sister. Barry blushed and laughed as Iris handed over the bag. 

“I haven’t seen this in years!” Iris laughed as Barry began to dig into the bag. 

“I figured those might be worth something.” Barry grinned at the comics in her hands. 

“They’re worth something to me.” Iris pulled her into another hug while Joe went to see about what they could do for dinner. They hung out for most of the night. Eddie called once to make sure everyone was ok. All three of them spent the night in the same house that night for the first time in years. The next day Iris headed out to work and Barry flopped onto the couch. Captain Singh had given her a few days off after everything that had happened. She was kinda glad of that as she pushed a suitcase out of the way so she could put her feet up. Joe laughed as he looked around.

“You know she’s gonna take forever to get all this cleaned up.” Barry glanced up at her foster father and laughed before flashing around the room. It only took her a few seconds to get everything gathered up in a neat pile by the door. Joe laughed slightly and shook his head as Barry flopped back down onto the couch. Joe handed her a beer and she laughed. 

“You know this does nothing for me right?” Joe rolled his eyes and popped the top on his beer. Barry shrugged and took a swig. It didn’t taste all that bad and the fleeting buzz of the alcohol was nice. Joe was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat and spoke. 

“So… You and Snart.” Barry sighed and took a longer swig of her beer. Joe glanced at her. 

“When did that happen?” Barry sighed. 

“A day or so after Oliver broke up with me.” Joe nodded taking a drink of his own beer. 

“So he was a rebound guy huh?” Barry paused, looking down at the brown bottle in her hand. 

“That’s kinda how it started.” Joe raised an eyebrow.

“But not how it ended?” Barry ran a hand through her hair. She sighed. 

“I didn’t know he was a criminal… He said he was in art acquisition, he was really nice. He took care of me when my lungs were healing after I fought Nimbus. I told him it was just a cold. He brought me soup, and ginger ale. He introduced me to his sister. I don’t… I don’t think he knew I’m a CSI. And I wasn’t lying when I said it wasn’t him that took me out of the alley. It was his partner.” Barry took a long draw on the beer she sniffled slightly and scrubbed at her face.

“I cared about him. And I think maybe he cared about me. But he doesn’t know I’m the Flash. I figured out he was a criminal after the theater, and broke it off.” Joe set down his beer and pulled Barry into a hug. Barry burrowed herself into her foster fathers embrace for a moment. She should tell him that Len knew where she lived. But something stopped her as she pulled back. 

“I haven’t heard from him since. Well up until today.” Joe nodded, he’d had his share of bad relationships. He could understand that. Barry checked her watch her eyes still glimmering slightly. 

“I promised Caitlin I’d go into the lab today for a checkup. I gotta run.” Joe chuckled slightly at her pun and Barry lit up, the grin on her face finally reaching her eyes. She hugged him quickly and raced off to Star Labs. Joe sighed as he looked around. His girls were moving on with their lives, he smiled to himself. 

 

Barry had finished her checkup and was stepping off the treadmill and snagging her bottle of water when a voice from the doorway made her jump slightly. 

“I hope we’re not enemies.” She looked to her left and spotted Dr. Wells wheeling into the room. 

“What? No, of course we’re not.” Dr. Wells smiled slightly.

“I thought you might blame me.” Barry looked at him beyond lost. He continued. “For pushing you to pursue your training instead of going after Snart.” Barry nodded comprehension finally crossing her face. She mopped her brow with the towel she kept on the rack in the room. 

“Look, I’m an adult, I make my own choices. I chose to run from this problem until I couldn’t run anymore. I make my own mistakes, and I think maybe he was one of them. I don’t think you are. I’m glad you pushed me, to get better at this, to get faster.” Barry laughed and Dr. Wells raised an eyebrow.

“It’s so weird. There was a time when I would literally have paid money to be in the same room as you, let alone to have your autograph. I used to have the biggest crush on you when I was younger.” Barry blushed slightly. “It’s kinda embarrassing. But you were this big brilliant scientist, everything I wanted to be. But then everything with my mom happened and I guess over time I realized it was kinda silly. And now here we are…” Dr. Wells smiled.

“Partners.” Barry grinned and held out a fist to him. He rolled his eyes and fist bumped her. She grinned at him. 

“I was gonna say friends.” Dr. Wells smiled and began to wheel away.

“In case you ever doubt it, you push me to be better too. I’m glad you made it out of this alright.” Barry nodded. 

“Thank you Dr. Wells.” Cisco skipped into the room and hugged Barry.

“Noooo! I’m sweaty!” Cisco laughed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the Cortex. 

“You gotta see this!” Cisco dragged her off to the Cortex. Barry tried to ask him what he was talking about but he just kept shushing her. When they reached the Cortex Cisco nodded to Caitlin who was grinning. Caitlin hit a button and the blonde reporter began speaking.

‘And once again this is footage taken last night during the confrontation between arch criminal Captain Cold and the individual calling herself the Flash.’ The screen switched and they were treated to a view that had clearly been from the building to the left of the fight. A streak of yellow gold lightning raced around and beat the two villains. But the streak only paused long enough to make out a feminine shape in a red suit. The blonde came back on.

‘Witnesses described a female figure shrouded in lightning.’ Cisco laughed loudly. 

“All the news stations are going crazy. I mean its essentially the same footage from different angles, but everyone’s talking about the Flash! You are officially Central City's biggest news story!” Barry laughed as Cisco snagged the remote from Caitlin and began to flick through channels.


	10. Back to Normal..ish

Barry was forced to take a few more days sabbatical when news reached the CCPD of Snart and Rory escaping in route to prison. It gave Barry more time to hang out at Star Labs, to train and race around as the Flash. She danced a little victory jig as she raced back into Star Labs, the Royal Flush Gang out of commission and surrounded by police. Cisco cheered. 

“Aw yeah! The Flash triumphs again! We gotta get a picture.” Barry laughed loudly.

“Pretty sure rule one of having a secret identity is not to take photos in your costume without your mask on.” Cisco pouted. 

“Come on! For the future generations! They’ll want to know about all of this!” He said gesturing to Barry, still in full costume. Barry laughed. Dr. Wells smiled. 

“Cisco has a point. As scientists we are under an obligation to record our escapades for future generations.” Barry laughed again. 

“If that’s the case then we all need to be in it, after all I don’t do this alone. Without your shortcut the Royal Flush Gang would have gotten away tonight Dr. Wells. And Cisco makes all my equipment, and Caitlin keeps me breathing. We all have to be in this photo.” Caitlin snorted and Cisco bounced, Dr. Wells nodded. 

“When you put it that way…” Caitlin frowned as Cisco handed the camera over to Barry.

“Can I put on some makeup first?” Barry laughed. Cisco snorted. 

“The future doesn’t care about your makeup Caitlin!” He steered her over to Dr. Wells. Cisco stood on the doctors left, Caitlin on his right, an open space left open for Barry in the middle. She held up Cisco’s phone.

“Smile!” She clicked the shutter and raced in an out of the photo in seconds. She checked it and grinned. The photo hadn’t even blurred. Caitlin raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Does that count as a Selfie?” Barry’s grin widened. 

“Hell yes it does!” She handed Cisco’s phone back over to him and checked her watch. 

“Gotta meet Joe for dinner. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” She flashed into her regular clothes and zipped out of the building. She sped home and opened the door at a regular pace, for which she was glad when she spotted Iris holding a box of stuff. 

“Hey! I thought the whole point of moving out was that you are no longer at home?” Barry quipped at her sister. Iris stuck out her tongue. 

“I forgot some stuff.” Joe came in a dish in his hands. 

“Sure you don’t want to stay for dinner, we’re having spaghetti a la me!” Barry giggled. Joe called baked spaghetti that, and had since she was a kid. She could smell another pan of it baking for which she was glad, she was starving and if there had only been one pan she knew she would have to go out for seconds after dinner. Iris laughed as Joe set down the first pan and headed back into the kitchen. 

“I wish I could, but Eddie has been painting all day and I promised I’d help.” Barry laughed and snagged a roll as she sat down. Joe came in with a second pan and Iris frowned. 

“Are you expecting more people?” Barry covered quickly. 

“Caitlin and Cisco said they might stop by for dinner. Cisco eats like a teenage boy.” Iris nodded and Joe raised a hand as she turned to leave and Barry began to serve herself. 

“Oh someone from Central City Picture News called, they left a message. I left the number on the fridge.” Iris’s eyes went wide. 

“Oh my god! Why didn’t you tell me!” Joe raised his hands in surrender.

“Chill I just did.” Iris rushed into the kitchen where Joe kept the old landline he insisted on having. Barry never understood that, no one had a landline anymore. But she was too busy piling green beans on her plate to pay much attention to that right now. At least until Iris screamed from the other room. Barry leapt to her feet, her fork clattering to the floor. Joe's hand dropped to his sidearm, which he wore almost constantly now. He put up his other hand, still clad in the oven mitt.

“Was that a good scream or a bad scream?” Barry was practically vibrating. Then Iris laughed from the kitchen and Barry relaxed. She stopped vibrating as Iris came barreling out of the kitchen smiling like the Cheshire cat. 

“Such a good scream! Oh my god! Central City Picture News just offered me a job as a reporter! Their editor is a fan of my Blog!” Barry bit back a laugh and hugged her sister. She was still shaking slightly and Joe's hand was still close to his sidearm. Iris seemed to notice the tension in the air. 

“You guys ok?” Barry nodded hugging Iris close for another moment. 

“Fine.” It was Joe's turn to cover. 

“With everything that happened over the last week, we’re just a bit on edge.” Iris wrapped Barry in another hug, remembering that Barry had been kidnapped just a few days ago. 

“I’m sorry!” Barry shook her head.

“No, I’m fine! I promise.” Iris grabbed her box, an awkward silence had fallen. 

“Congrats on the job!” Barry managed, she was starting to shake again so she grabbed her fork off the floor and headed into the kitchen. She steadied herself on the sink for a minute until a hand came down on her shoulder, she whirled, fast as lightning and spotted Joe, hands raised. 

“Iris headed out. You ok?” Barry took a shaky breath and shook her head. 

“No. I think we should tell Iris. About the Flash. She’s getting suspicious and we know the Reverse Flash knows who I am. It makes Iris a target, worse one who doesn’t know she’d a target, or why if she does. God, what if being the Flash is doing more harm than good.” Her last sentence came out as a whisper, like she hadn’t meant to say it out loud. Barry was shaking so bad her hands were sparking. Joe leaned on the counter, he couldn’t get too close to Barry when she lost control, no one could. The sparks she was putting off burned like hell. 

“Barry. There’s been no sign of the Reverse Flash since Christmas. You’re doing everything you can to prepare for when he comes back right?” Barry nodded, the vibration slowing slightly. 

“Yeah.” Joe nodded and stepped forwards as the sparks stopped flying. 

“There’s nothing we can do but prepare for the moment. Iris is safer not knowing. The Reverse Flash doesn’t seem to have an interest in anyone but you now. You need to make sure you’re ready next time he shows up. Let me worry about Iris. Ok?” Barry finally stopped shaking entirely. She nodded. 

“I’ve got something for you by the way.” Barry raised an eyebrow as she grabbed a new fork and headed back out to her spot at the table. Joe dug around in his bag for a moment. He pulled out a bundle of envelopes and handed them over to Barry. 

“Captain Singh has been getting them for a while now but they started piling up on his desk and I volunteered to take care of them.” Barry frowned. The envelopes all appeared to have children’s handwriting on them, ranging from scribbled Crayon to careful if shaky marker strokes. Joe pushed the envelopes across the table as Barry inhaled a roll. Barry took up the first envelope, it was bright eye searing yellow and written in red crayon was the simple work ‘Flash’. Barry raised an eyebrow and popped open the envelope. A hand drawn card fell out. She scooped it up with one hand as she twirled spaghetti on her fork with her other. The picture was of a woman and a female child, both drawn as stick figures, standing hand in hand while a smear of yellow stretched into a building that appeared to be on fire. She opened the card, still confused. 

‘Dear FLash thats how mom says youre supposed to start letters. THank you for saving my mom and me when our house burned down. Youre the coolest superhero ever much cooler than the arrow. Paige. PS I hope you get this. Mom says she doesnt know how to get it to you so were gonna give it to a police officer cause she says they might know.’ 

Barry stared down at the card in her hand, tears welling up in her eyes. She opened the next one and found a drawing no note this time, it was again a yellow blur, though this one had red in it and there were lightning bolts scattered through it. The kid who had drawn this was probably a bit older than the last one, the handwriting in the corner was neater. It had a date from about two months ago on it, and the name Billy written under it. There was a car drawn behind the smear of yellow, a bright but slightly different yellow hummer. Under his name Billy had written ‘Thanks for saving me Flash!’ Most of the rest of the envelopes were of a similar nature. A few had clearly been dictated to parents who had written what their children had said in careful pen strokes and let them sign the bottom of the page in crayon. 

All told there were about two dozen letters and cards, some just drawings. Barry was crying. Tears streaking down her face, her plate forgotten, a smile on her face. Joe stood and stepped over to her pulling her into a hug. 

“Look at those and tell me the Flash is doing more harm than good.” Barry laughed wetly into her foster father’s shoulder. 

 

Across town Dr. Harrison Wells was drinking a soothing glass of scotch when he was attacked in his own house. Every piece of glass in the house shattered as he dove for cover.


	11. The Return

Barry had to try hard not to ogle Dr. Wells’ house, it was beautiful. Or it would have been if not for the glass everywhere. It was clear that the roof over the living room had been glass, now scattered around the floor. A short slightly confusing conversation with Caitlin and Cisco left Barry to think as she pieced one of the panels of glass back together. They had never been here? She understood wanting your privacy but Dr. Wells seemed to be much more personable with Caitlin and Cisco then anyone else. Maybe it was just because they’d stayed when everyone had jumped ship from Star Labs after the explosion. She glanced around and smiled slightly, everyone else was out of the room. She sped up her progress and in minutes the glass was reassembled. She stared down at it as she heard a familiar wheelchair glide up to sit next to her. 

“There’s no point of impact, no solid object could have done this. But you know that already don’t you?” Dr. Wells smiled slightly. 

“You are spectacular at your job Barry.” She smiled slightly, but he was deflecting the question. 

“You know what happened, but you don’t want our help. Why?” Dr. Wells nodded slowly. 

“Because I already know who did it. Hartley Rathaway.” Barry raised an eyebrow at Dr. Wells. 

“Who’s Hartley Rathaway?” She heard Cisco make a noise of disgust as he and Caitlin stepped up to them. Dr. Wells smiled slightly. 

“Hartley Rathaway is the prodigal son, and he has returned.” Barry frowned but Dr. Wells refused to say more until Joe and Eddie had left. Eddie was eyeing Dr. Wells suspiciously, and Joe had his poker face on. It was a bit off but soon Barry and the others were heading to Star Labs. Once they were settled and Joe had arrived from the precinct Dr. Wells began to speak. 

“Hartley Rathaway has one of the most ingenious scientific minds I’ve ever encountered.” Joe nodded to the picture in front of them. 

“Any ties to Rathaway Industries?” Dr. Wells nodded as Barry looked at Cisco and Caitlin. Both were looking at the image in front of them bitterly. Barry raised an eyebrow as she hopped onto one of the rolling office chairs. 

“How come you two hate Rathaway so much?” Cisco spoke first. 

“Because he’s a class A dick.” Barry raised an eyebrow.

“Hartley is brilliant but does have a bit of a challenging personality.” Dr. Wells continued as he scrolled through the images to an older man. “His grandfather founded Rathaway Industries, his father expanded it. He was all set to inherit the throne.” Barry frowned. 

“What happened?” Caitlin shook her head. 

“He came out to his parents. Old family, old values.” Barry shook her head. Dr. Wells nodded. 

“They were estranged when we met. I couldn’t have built the particle accelerator without him.” Cisco rolled his eyes. 

“Too bad he’s a literal douchebag.” Barry raised an eyebrow but let it go. 

“So what’s he got against you Dr. Wells?” Dr. Wells frowned. Caitlin nodded. 

“You know I’ve been wondering that too, he was always your favorite.” Cisco crossed his arms. 

“The chosen one, he actually called himself that.” Barry let out a small laugh, this guy did kind of sound like an ass. Joe frowned though. 

“If you two were so close why is he targeting you?” The question was directed at Dr. Wells who was silent for a moment. 

“Hartely left Star Labs a year ago, after we had a disagreement.” When silence fell again and it became clear that Dr. Wells wasn’t going to elaborate on his own Joe pushed slightly. 

“About?” The silence reigned again until Barry cut it off. 

“Look it doesn’t matter, because we’re going to stop him. I’m not gonna let him hurt you, any of you. Let’s get back to my lab and see if we can’t find anything from what we’ve got.” It took a moment but Joe nodded. The two of them left Star Labs but Barry didn’t race off to her lab instead hopping into the passenger seat of Joe’s car. Joe raised an eyebrow but Barry was silent for a few minutes as he pulled out of the parking lot. When she did speak she wasn’t looking at him, eyes fixed out the window. 

“What do you think they fought about?” Joe shook his head, sighing, knowing Barry wasn’t going to like his answer. 

“If I had to guess it was something about the accelerator.” Barry nodded slightly. They were silent for another few blocks, then Joe broke the silence. 

“I think Eddie might be close to figuring us out.” Barry started violently. 

“What?” Joe sighed as he took a left. 

“Well not us. Not about the Flash per say. But he knows there’s something else going on in this city. After his encounter with the Reverse Flash I had to give him something. I told him that metahumans exist. Nothing more, except that we were some of the only people who knew about it for sure, me and him. But I think he’s starting to realize that you know something you maybe shouldn’t.” Barry leaned her head back against the headrest and let out a long breath. 

“So what are you saying?” Joe sighed. 

“Lie low, be careful? Honestly I’m not so sure it would be a bad thing for him to know. I… I think that if he knew we could have an extra hand in the police force and that would be beyond helpful.” Barry looked at Joe incredulously. 

“You won’t tell Iris because you think it’ll make her more of a target than she already is but now you want to tell her boyfriend.” Barry ran a hand through her hair, pulling the long mess up into a messy bun. “I understand why telling him would be to our benefit but I won’t agree to it until you agree to tell Iris.” They had pulled into the precinct and Barry hopped out of the car without another word and quickstepped inside and up to her lab.


	12. Sacrificing A Pawn

Eddie Thawne was not suspicious by nature. Once you got to know him he was a well balanced man who loved his girlfriend more than life itself and wanted nothing more than to be included in her family. Which was part of the reason he’d been going to Barry more and more for cases. That and she really was the best they had. He figured that was why she had her own lab but he’d never asked. So, it wasn’t unusual for him to be heading up to her lab with a manila folder of evidence for her to do a quick review of. These days it also wasn’t unusual for the door to her lab to be closed. That had apparently happened a lot before the lightning too and usually meant that she was in the middle of a case or cases and shouldn’t be disturbed. What was slightly unusual was the door being open just a crack. Eddie frowned wondering if he should knock or not. Before he got the chance though he heard the sound of shattering glass. He was about to open the door to see what was going on when he heard Barry laughing and Joe chuckling. 

It had been a few hours since they had arrived back at the precinct and Barry had stormed up to her lab, the universal sign that she’d had a fight with someone. Joe had made three coffee runs up to her before she’d seemingly forgiven him for whatever they were arguing about. 

“So you’re saying that could happen to anything not just a glass?” Joe’s voice was easy to recognize. 

“Well in theory yes. You’d have to know the right vibrational frequencies but I am completely sure that that’s what happened at Dr. Wells’ house. He’s using some kind of sonic technology.” Eddie raised an eyebrow, pretending to flick through the folder he was holding instead of listening in to his partner and the same man’s daughter. But if Wells was using some kind of dangerous technology, he needed to be stopped. There was a frown in Barry’s voice as she continued. 

“It doesn’t make sense though, why wouldn’t he have mentioned Rathaway before.” Eddie pulled a pen out of his pocket and scribbled the name down on his hand. He heard Joe sigh. 

“I feel like there’s something Wells is hiding about this Rathaway kid, about what happened between them.” There was a sound that could only be a scoff. “I’m serious Barry. There’s a lot Dr. Wells doesn’t talk about, like his girlfriend who died.” 

“Yeah who would want to talk about something traumatizing like that?” There was a bite to Barry’s voice that Eddie didn’t recognize. It almost sounded like bitterness. But she apparently wasn’t done yet. “How did you even know about that?” 

“Well,” Joe sounded almost apologetic. “He’s become a big part of our lives. I wanted to know more about him.” Barry sounded upset as she responded.

“If you wanted to know more about him why didn’t you just ask me?” One of the other officers tapped Eddie on the shoulder and spoke.

“Sounds like you don’t know him as well as you think you do.” He barely caught that last sentence before he rapped sharply on the door before entering Barry’s lab.

“Joe, we’ve got multiple nine one one calls, coming in from Rathaway Industries, apparently they’re under attack.” Joe nodded and followed him out of the lab as Barry answered her buzzing phone.

The run to Rathaway Industries didn’t take her long. The actual fight didn’t take very long either. Barry couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious about that. She’d known she had to shut him down quickly when he’d called out her team. But as she escorted Rathaway into the Labs her mind was buzzing. What had he meant, he figured out who Harrison Wells really is? What was this secret he had mentioned? It bothered her to think that he might know something that she didn’t. He grinned at her slightly as they exited the elevator. 

“You know, being scooped up by someone in head to toe leather has always been a dream of mine, shame you aren’t a guy, then it would have been perfect.” She had to repress a laugh, he was kind of an asshole but that had been kinda funny. Cisco and Caitlin were waiting for them. 

“Well, well, well. The gangs all here.” His grin was shit eating. “You’ve lasted a lot longer than I thought you would Cisco.” Cisco crossed his arms.

“And you didn’t last ten seconds against the Flash.” The smile Rathaway shot Cisco made Barry a bit uncomfortable, he looked like he knew something they didn’t. 

“I like the nicknames, been calling myself Pied Piper.” Cisco remained silent but Barry could tell from the look on his face that he actually liked the name. Hartley turned to Caitlin, his eyes growing slightly sad though his smirk remained in place. “Caitlin. Never did get that wedding invite.” Barry grabbed him by the collar and shoved him forwards. 

“Shut the fuck up.” She had to admit as she and Cisco dragged Rathaway off to a cell that she had never thought her life would end up this way. She’d never liked jails, now she was filling one on her own. It made her twitchy that they couldn’t put the people in their prison on trial, hell they couldn’t let them out of their cells without risking them running wild on the city. She was working on an idea for that though. Metahumans could only remain a secret for so long after all and once they were found out to be true the world would need a way to contain the bad seeds of the group. She was almost ready to go to Cisco with her idea. She just wasn’t sure he’d like it. Once she was sure Cisco could handle him Barry left for the Cortex. She grabbed a few of Cisco’s latest protein bars and sat down at the main console pulling up the video feed for the Pipeline’s main entrance just in time to catch the end of a sentence in Spanish spoken by Rathaway. She watched as he switched to French when speaking to Caitlin and frowned. Dr. Wells rolled up to the entrance and asked the others to leave. This time Hartley didn’t even bother to start off in English. Barry actually didn’t recognize the language he was speaking in. Dr. Wells must have though because he answered in the same language. 

“God I wish I’d taken a language in college.” Barry muttered to herself as she bit into one of the bars. She’d taken French in high school but had decided to skip out on languages in favor of a few criminal psychology courses. She listened as Dr. Wells apologized, smiling slightly. That was the man she’d come to know. 

“Not bad. As far as heartfelt apologies go I would almost call that one genuine. Except it wasn’t for my benefit.” Rathaway looked up directly into the camera. “That was for you Flash. I know it feels nice to have the great Harrison Wells on your side, but one day this man will turn on you in a flash, and even you won’t see it coming. I can only hope he leaves you in better shape than he left me, you seem like a decent, if misguided, person. If you’re lucky he’ll only kill you.” Barry frowned. There was a niggling doubt in the back of her mind. She couldn’t help it. She faked a smile as Cisco and Caitlin walked into the cortex. She turned back to the screen as he went on about the screaming he apparently had to listen to twenty four seven. 

“I almost forgot I told you scarlet knight that I know your dirty secret Harrison. Good luck explaining that.” It took Dr. Wells a good ten minutes to return to the Cortex. Cisco, Caitlin and Barry sat in silence while they waited. He looked exhausted when he finally did wheel his way into the room. 

“I assume you were all listening.” Barry nodded, the others not speaking or moving much.

“What did he mean, deep dark secret?” Barry asked, watching Dr. Wells closely. 

“He was right, I have not been honest with you. With any of you.” He took a deep breath and sighed looking down at his shoes like a defeated man. “Hartley told me there was indeed a chance that the accelerator could explode. I didn’t listen to him. His data didn’t show that there was a one hundred percent certainty. Just that there was a risk, but it was a real risk. But I went ahead with the project anyway. I decided that everything we could learn, all we could achieve simply outweighed that risk. I am sorry.” The three of them stared at him for a moment. Then Caitlin stood slowly. 

“The next time you decide to put all our lives and the lives of the people we love at risk, I’ll expect a heads up.” Barry blinked slightly as Caitlin headed out of the Cortex. Cisco followed her close behind. Barry stood, much in the same way Caitlin had. 

“After the explosion when everyone else left you, they stayed. They stood by you. You owe them more than an apology.” Dr. Wells ran a hand through his hair. 

“Well they may soon get much more than that with Hartley intent on seeing me leave this world.” Barry shook her head. 

“That wouldn’t make it right with anyone, we both know that, so how about you stop lying. You broke their trust, our trust.” Barry shook her head, stepping out of the Cortex. She thought for a minute before she switched back into her costume but she didn’t leave Star Labs to go on patrol as she often did to let off steam, no this time she headed down to the Pipeline, she had a few more questions for Hartley Rathaway.


	13. Perspective

It only took Barry a few minutes to disable the video and sound surveillance around Rathaway’s cell. It would take the others time to realize what had happened, and just loosening a wire here and there wouldn’t take too long to fix. She stepped up to the cell and Hartley frowned slightly.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon.” She kept her voice vibrating as he eyed her up and down like she was a piece of an equation that wasn’t quite behaving the way it should have. 

“You told Wells there was a chance that the accelerator would explode.” Hartley smiled slightly at her words.

“So he admitted to that. Yes I did, I warned him. More than once. I’m assuming you deactivated the cameras? Couldn’t have the good doctor knowing that you doubt him.” She didn’t speak but he didn’t seem to be expecting her to. “I repeatedly warned him that there was a distinct chance of the accelerator going critical and blowing. When I threatened to go public with the information he cast me out. Toppled my career and left me high and dry.” 

“That’s it?” Barry had been expecting something more than that, she didn’t know why but she had been expecting a better motivation out of him than just revenge for a ruined career. 

“With nothing much else to do I went looking for information on out dear Dr. Wells and I found out something very interesting about the man I thought I knew. You know about his fiancé yes?” He waited for the Flash to nod before he continued. “If you find time while zipping around town find someone who knew him before she died. Talk to them about him and they’ll describe a man so different that one can hardly believe they’re the same person. Think over that for a while.” Barry zipped away before Hartley could say anything else and frowned to herself as she sat down, back in her regular clothes to think. She sighed and headed out to Jitters, she needed to stew in her own thoughts for a while, away from Star Labs.

 

 

Iris shook her head at her sister as she spotted her sitting dejectedly at their usual table at Jitters.

“No, no. I’m already having the worst day ever! We’re not both allowed to have the worst day ever! Who will we vent our frustration to?” Barry let out a soft chuckle. 

“How come you’re having the worst day ever?” The brunette raised an eyebrow at her sister who lifted a hand and placed her order quickly before sitting back down across from her.

“Well turns out the only reason I got hired at Central City Picture News is because their editor thinks I have some kind of in with the Flash. Which I don’t. I haven’t seen her in ages, not since before the Arrow came to town.” Barry frowned. She had been trying to avoid Iris as the Flash but this didn’t make sense. 

“Sounds like he’s an ass.” Iris nodded.

“And the guy they’ve got mentoring me is even worse. Mason Bridge is mentoring me.” Barry raised an eyebrow. “I always loved that guy. He has two Pulitzers, and he said to my face that I’m a worthless, talentless millennial.” Barry pulled a face. 

“Never meet your heroes.” Iris rolled her eyes. 

“Speak for yourself, I still love the Flash, I’ve met her a bunch and she’s fantastic.” Barry snorted. “So why are you having the worst day ever?” Barry deflated. She thought for a minute, sipping her coffee. 

“Well. A person I thought I knew did something, something wildly shitty. Made a decision that affected me and a lot of people I care about. And he lied about it. And now I don’t know what to do.” Iris frowned. 

“I think that’s the most vague you’ve ever been with me Bar. But I’m getting used to it.” Barry frowned and stared into my coffee. “I also know sometimes we can’t tell anyone everything. So from what you’ve told me I would confront them. But maybe they aren’t everything you thought they were.” Barry frowned deeper and sipped her coffee again. Her phone started to beep. She flipped it over and Iris saw panic flash across her face. 

“I have to go.” Before Iris could say anything Barry was out the door, bolting down the street faster than Iris had ever seen her run. Had to have been some emergency for her to go racing off like that, Barry hated running. 

 

 

As soon as she was out of sight Barry went as fast as she could run. Lightning trailed behind her as her thin jacket went up in smoke. She skidded into Star Labs and paused for a minute. Alarms were blaring, fire alarms. She snagged one of the many fire alarms and raced down to the pipeline. Cisco was out cold on the floor and Hartley Rathaway’s cell had been blown open from the inside. She put out the fires rapidly and picked up Cisco. She ran full pelt into the Cortex and set Cisco down on the medical bed that she normally occupied. Caitlin was out cold on the floor. Barry knelt down and checked her over. She looked alright, just a lump on the head. Barry picked her up and set her on the spare bed. It didn’t take long for the redhead to wake up. 

“Hey. Caitlin it’s ok. What happened?” Caitlin shook her head. 

“Cisco?” Barry nodded at the other bed. 

“I got him. He’s unconscious. I am not a doctor.” Caitlin hopped up and Barry steadied her slightly. Caitlin insisted on examining Cisco. He was going to be fine, as soon as he woke up. While Caitlin was doing that Barry hovered. Caitlin spoke. 

“Dr. Wells was still in the building.” Barry swore. The doctor had been the one to call her and she’d forgotten about him. She raced away and found him on the floor in front of his chair. She swore again and dragged him as carefully as she could back into his chair. He was shaking but he didn’t look hurt beyond that. 

“Hartley escaped.” Barry nodded, Dr. Wells pulled a face. “Cisco and Caitlin, are they alright?” 

“Cisco got hit by debris but Caitlin says he should be alright. Just a concussion.” Dr. Wells looked beyond relieved. Barry found herself having second thoughts. How could someone who cared so much have ignored a trusted employee. It didn’t make sense. Together they returned to the Cortex, they needed to plan what to do next.


	14. The Sacrificed Bishop

Barry stayed with Cisco at Star Labs for the rest of the night. Dr. Wells was off somewhere else in the building making phone calls. Caitlin insisted on staying as well and the three of them watched movies and sorted files well into the night before they fell asleep. None of them could figure out quite what Hartley had taken but Cisco talked while they sorted through the files he’d scrambled. 

“See it’s weird. I mean… none of us had heard anything having to do with the accelerator blowing. I mean there was always a slim chance of it happening, obviously but you would think if Hartley figured out it was definitely going to blow he would have told someone.” Caitlin nodded, frowning. 

“I remember him talking to Ronnie before he got fired but I didn’t hear anything he said. It’s not like Dr. Wells knew for certain that it would blow. Even if he knew there was a greater chance than we thought.” She sounded unsure and Barry couldn’t argue with her uncertainty. She was starting to rethink everything she knew about Dr. Wells. What if he’d been lying this whole time? She couldn’t quite wrap her brain around what that might imply. She fell asleep at around three that morning her thoughts producing some very odd dreams about a world wreathed in lightning. When they woke the next morning Dr. Wells was waiting for them. 

“I would very much appreciate it if you two would join me in a few hours at the precinct. You should get going Barry or you’ll be late to work.” Barry checked her watch and swore racing off to change out of her soot stained clothes before running, at more human speeds, to work. She made it just in time and had a few hours to contemplate what Dr. Wells had been talking about before Eddie knocked on the door of her lab. 

“Your Star Labs buddies are here, Wells is holding a press conference.” Barry frowned and followed Eddie down the stairs into the main Hall of the precinct. She spotted Iris and her mentor Mason Bridge standing in the group of reporters. Mason had just made some snide comment to Iris if her face was anything to go by and Barry really wanted to give the man a piece of her mind but she didn’t have time as Dr. Wells rolled up to the podium. 

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. If any of you here have read the ten volume report issued by the Norris Commission I commend your tenacity, you already know the circumstances that lead to the explosion of the Star Labs Particle Accelerator. Or rather you think you do. The Commissions finding was that the explosion was triggered by an event no one could have predicted, including myself. The truth is that I was warned that the Particle Accelerator could explode. I was warned by one of the most intelligent people I have ever known, Hartley Rathaway, a former colleague and friend. I chose to ignore him and in so doing I let down all of you.” Barry wasn’t sure that he knew she was there until he turned to look at her. “As a new friend pointed out to me recently I failed this city. I failed all of the people who were depending on me, the people who trusted me most.” He paused and looked back at the reporters. 

“By coming forward today I hope I am taking a first step to regaining that trust. I know it will take some time to regain but I will do all I can to regain it.” He then began to take questions. Barry felt a small smile build as Dr. Wells ignored Mason Bridge and asked Iris for her question instead, but it blossomed into a full out grin when Iris reprimanded Dr. Wells for not answering her colleagues question and repeated it with more specificity. She knew what he was up to when he stopped taking questions after denying his intention to rebuild the accelerator. He was going out of his way to get back in her good graces by helping Iris with her career. She wasn’t sure yet if it was going to work. 

 

Across town Hartley Rathaway frowned at the TV as it switched back to the newsroom. He flicked it off and turned back to the computer instead. He knew Wells too well to fall for a little trick like that. He knew better, he’d played chess with the man enough to know how his mind worked and that display, despite mentioning him by name had been as much for him as his apology yesterday had been. He was putting on a show for the best piece he had on the board. He didn’t want to lose her. But if his conversation with the Flash had earned him any true insight into who she was as a person he knew that she was growing tired of being used as Wells’ chess piece. She was quite a bit like him, he mused as he searched through the data he’d collected. She was too curious and smart to stay in Wells’ hands for long. He wished there was another way to do what he had planned but chess was a game of war when you got down to it, and war was never pretty. 

 

Barry sped through the rest of her work for the day, literally, and set off for Star Labs as soon as Captain Singh said she could. She arrived before Dr. Wells who was apparently talking with Joe about how Hartley had escaped and set to work helping Caitlin and Cisco. She had always been good with computers and soon they had the job parceled out between the three of them. Caitlin got the easy parts since this wasn’t really her area. Cisco insisted on taking the parts Hartley had directly interfered with, which was a good chunk of data. Dr. Wells rolled into the room. 

“Has Hartley made contact yet?” Barry frowned but Caitlin beat her to the question. 

“Why are you so sure he will?” 

“Because he’s Hartley and he has to have the last word.” A moments silence echoed around them. Then one of the computers flickered to life of its own accord. Barry flashed to the other side of the room out of sight of the webcams. She’d caught a glimpse of the screen, of Harley sitting in the costume he’d been wearing when she’d caught him. Complete with the gloves. Dr. Wells rolled up to the computer. 

“Hartley. It’s good to see you.” Hartley snorted. 

“Did you really think I would fall for that Bishop sacrifice. We both know that was a diversionary tactic. No I want your precious scarlet knight. Tonight. You’ll figure out where. Oh and Flash, since you’re bound to be listening, I hope you know that little press conference was in no way for me.” Hartley cut off the line. Barry turned to Cisco. 

“Did we get him?” Cisco shook his head. 

“No he didn’t stay on the line long enough.” Barry frowned. Dr. Wells swore. He tapped his finger on the arm of his chair for a moment. Then he turned to Barry. 

“What will you do?” Barry stood up straight. 

“If he wants a fight he’ll get one. We just have to find him.” Dr. Wells nodded looking thoughtful.

“We should get on that then.” He and Cisco began to scan the area in different ways as Caitlin insisted Barry eat something and dragged her off to the kitchen. Once they were there Caitlin shoved Barry into one of the cushy chairs and handed her a protein bar then began to pace. She wordlessly grabbed a sensor from the counter and stuck it on Barry’s finger. She checked her stats and paced again. Barry frowned. 

“Caitlin, what’s going on? Is it about Ronnie or Dr. Wells?” Caitlin shook her head. 

“Neither really. But sort of both… Look Hartley was a class a jerk especially about being smarter than everybody but he had earned it. He is scary intelligent. You need to think before you rush out there tonight.” Barry nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips. 

“Has anyone told you that you sound a lot like Oliver sometimes?” Caitlin rolled her eyes and tossed Barry another protein bar. 

“What was the deal with you two anyway? Felicity mentioned that you dated.”


	15. Suspicions and Speakers

A few years ago Eddie Thawne would have sworn up down and sideways that he wasn’t a suspicious person. A few years of work in the police force had changed that a bit but he had never been truly suspicious of someone close to him before. But Barry Allen didn’t quite add up anymore. He had known her for a few weeks before the lightning. A nerd, kind and determined. A workaholic, he’d learned about her father killing her mother a few days into working at the CCPD. It had confused him why she would choose a career in law enforcement after something like that. Captain Singh had shrugged. 

‘No idea. Honestly I’m glad she did though. She could be out there ruling the scientific world but instead I have the best CSI in the state.’ He hadn’t said more about it. Then the lightning had happened and she’d been out of commission for nine full months. And the CSI department had indeed suffered for it. Once she was back though he could tell something was different. She worked much faster. She spent most of her spare time at Star Labs, which hey, the people there had saved her life. He wouldn’t have questioned it if he hadn’t learned a few things. 

When Joe had told him the truth, that there was another kind of human walking around the city these days he almost didn’t believe it. If he hadn’t been face to face with the Reverse Flash, Joe had mentioned the name, he wouldn’t have believed it. But the facts had been staring at him with gleaming red eyes. He’d accepted them and went to Joe with the weird shit he found. Joe was very understanding, completely open to questions. But whenever they talked about meta humans his eyes would flick to the stairs up to the CSI department. It was a tell Eddie didn’t think he knew about. But it was a tell. Then he’d overheard the conversation about ‘That Rathaway kid’ right before Rathaway industries was attacked by someone who seemed to meet the description of the estranged Rathaway son, Hartley. The Flash had snatched him up and he was now MIA. Eddie couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Barry knew more than she should. Then there was the broken punching bag. He’d been trying to help Barry learn to defend herself and she’d broken the bag after just a few hits. Iris had been kidnapped so he hadn’t given it a lot of thought at the time but now thinking back he’d seen one of the other officers hang that bag that morning. It had to have been brand new. A seam didn’t just split on a brand new punching bag. 

He contemplated the idea that maybe Barry was more than she had been before the lightning. But did she know? He decided maybe it was best to keep his mouth shut for the moment. Watch and wait. He would figure out the truth eventually. 

 

Dr. Wells tapped his fingers on the arm of his wheel chair. He was quite frustrated if he was honest. When he’d first hired Hartley Rathaway he hadn’t been expecting to be part of the reason he became the Pied Piper. In his time he hadn’t known Hartley very well, the other man tended to avoid the Rouges gallery for a number of reasons. But he’d been one of their most intelligent members. He’d wanted to know the young man, and he’d found what he was looking for. Someone on his intellectual level. He was prideful like he hadn’t been as a member of the rouges. But he had a good heart, something he hadn’t been expecting. It had been that good heart that had gotten him tossed out of Star Labs. Now he was after the Flash. 

If the circumstances had been different Harrison would have taken care of this. He would have taken care of it just like he’d taken care of Simon Stagg. Well maybe not exactly. He would have snapped Hartley’s neck, left him hanging from a handmade noose. A note left on his computer, something about his parents. Something that wouldn’t easily be found to be fake. But Hartley played a part in Barry’s life. A foil for her intelligence. Fights with him had her think on her feet, taught her a lot. That wasn’t something Harrison could replace. He would have to put up with Hartley, at least for a while yet. Cisco jumped as the speaker system crackled to life. 

“Oh Harrison, you really haven’t figured it out yet have you? You used to be better at Chess than this. I’m already at the board. Your precious scarlet knight better hurry before there are no more pawns left.” Harrison practically growled. Cisco still hadn’t figured out what Hartley had taken. He didn’t want to send Barry out into this gambit without that knowledge. Hartley had made one error in his own favor without even knowing it. He had guessed that the Flash was the Knight, but she wasn’t. She was the queen on his board. Without her everything fell apart. But she would never allow herself to sacrifice any piece for her own safety. 

“You were right Dr. Wells! Quake activity, but no fault line! The Keystone-Cleveland Dam!” Barry nodded and pulled up her hood as Cisco kept bashing at the keys, determined to find what Hartley had taken. Dr. Wells managed to stop Barry before she sped off. 

“Don’t underestimate him. He’s brilliant!” Barry nodded. 

“Good thing I’ll have you three then.” She tapped her coms to activate them as she sped off. 

 

In hindsight rushing into this fight had been one of her worse ideas but it was very difficult to think about that when her organs were shredding her ears and nose already bleeding at the pitch Hartley’s gloves were putting out. She really wished she could have listened when Dr. Wells had told her to get out of there but there were still people on that bridge. She couldn’t let anyone get hurt, she wouldn’t. 

“I have to say I was hoping for more out of you. Using your suits speakers to kill you was a good idea don’t you think?” Barry couldn’t answer as blood poured from her mouth. “I wish I didn’t have to though. You seem like a good person. I genuinely believe the world will be a worse place without you in it. But believe you me Harrison Wells would have twisted you until there was nothing left to take. He’s done it before and he will do it again.” Barry couldn’t even scream around the blood in her mouth and the screeching in her ears.


	16. Checkmate

Dr. Wells moved fast, faster than Cisco had thought possible. Just a moment before Cisco had finally found what Hartley had taken, all the physical information on Barry, including the frequencies she vibrated at. In theory he could use that to shred her from the inside out just like he’d been shattering the glass at Rathaway Industries. Well it wasn’t so much a theory anymore, they could all hear Barry gasping for air as she kept bleeding on the pavement. Caitlin’s hands were white knuckled on the back of the chair. Dr. Well’s hands flew across the keyboard. 

“A good move Rathaway but not the final Gambit here.” Cisco frowned at Dr. Wells but kept silent as the doctor continued. “Should have taken out every car there Hartley.” 

“Why?” Cisco couldn’t help his curiosity. Dr. Wells didn’t seem to mind explaining what he was doing as his fingers kept flying. 

“A lot of the cars on that bridge are newer, most will have satellite radio installed as standard. And that means I can do this.” Dr. Wells hit the execute key and there was a loud screeching pulse through the speakers in Barry’s suit a minor explosion then Barry was gasping for air, seemingly unimpeded by more blood flowing out of her mouth and Hartley was the one screaming. “Checkmate.” Dr. Wells let himself smile. 

Barry rolled to her feet and spit into the puddle of blood she’d already caused. She raced to Hartley and punched him, knocking him out cold, hopefully that would stop his pain for a little while. She’d have to figure out something they could rig up with Cisco to help with that before he woke up. With a sigh Barry scrubbed at her nose and scooped up the unconscious supervillain. His gloves were shot but she couldn’t leave them here, so she grabbed them too. Then thinking it over for a millisecond she raced through the cars before she found what she was looking for. A tub of bleach, someone had been grocery shopping. Silently apologizing to the owner of the car she uncapped the bleach and poured it over the pools of her blood. When that was done she replaced the bottle and scooped up Hartley again before racing away to Star Labs. 

She arrived and staggered slightly. Cisco leapt to help her and hefted Hartley onto a gurney, making sure to strap him down and wheeled him away to the pipeline. Caitlin rushed Barry into the med bay. Carefully she removed Barry’s blood soaked cowl and hissed at the sheer amount of blood. It was still dripping from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Dr. Wells wheeled in and spoke as Caitlin held a tissue to Barry’s nose and nodded to the other girl to take it from her and stem the flow. 

“It took you longer than it normally would to get back here, even injured. What happened?” Barry patted her nose again, it had finally stopped bleeding. 

“I bled a lot on that bridge. If this doesn’t end up coming through my lab I needed to not be found out. I mean I don’t think my current blood samples exactly match the ones on file at the precinct but I couldn’t risk it. Didn’t have time to do much though, just pour some bleach I found onto it.” Barry stopped talking as Caitlin put a hand on her chin and made her open her mouth wide so she could see the back of her throat. 

“That was a very smart thing to do. Well done.” Barry nodded as Caitlin let her close her mouth. 

“See that’s the thing no one ever seems to realize about CSI’s we could probably get away with murder easier than anyone else, cause we know what other CSI’s look for. Not that I would though.” Dr. Wells smiled slightly at Barry. 

“Well I’m keeping you here overnight, for observation. You’re healing rapidly as usual, but you lost a lot of blood, we’ll have to do at least one transfusion. How are you feeling?” Caitlin asked as she rolled out the equipment she would need for the transfusion. 

“Dizzy. Not like I’m gonna pass out dizzy but definitely dizzy. Also my ears hurt like hell.” Barry rubbed the offending body part and Caitlin smacked her hand away grabbing a light and looking into each of Barry’s ears. 

“He burst both your eardrums, it’s kind of amazing you can hear anything at this point.” She kept staring then let out hum of interest. “It could be because you’re eardrums are healing at a rapid rate as well. Should be good as new by tomorrow.” Barry nodded as Caitlin finished setting up the transfusion and grabbed her something to eat. “You stay here until I tell you to move.” Barry gave Caitlin a mock salute with her protein bar and Caitlin suppressed a grin. 

 

Eddie shook his head at the scene in front of him. At least three cars had been tossed off the bridge by what the victims described as a blast of sound. Luckily no one had been hurt, thanks to the Flash speeding onto the scene. But she’d made off with the guy who’d done it. After she’d contaminated part of the crime scene. Pouring bleach on her own blood, it was clever, the CSI’s on the scene were debating how long the bleach had been there and how damaged the platelets would be. He stepped over to them as they came to a decision. 

“We need to call Allen, she’s best with the damaged stuff. Maybe she can find something we can’t.” One of them stepped aside pulling a phone and skimming through his contacts. Eddie raised an eyebrow at them and the one in charge, Mathews, he was pretty sure his name was Mathews, stepped over to him. 

“We’re packing up what we’ve got but we need Allen to take a look at the blood. The witnesses said it was from the Flash?” Eddie nodded Mathews bounced slightly. “It’ll be interesting to see what she finds, if she finds anything. Could be that even she won’t, there was a lot of bleach on the stains. But we’ll give it a shot.” Eddie nodded and turned to the scene as the CSI on the phone hung up and turned to the group. 

“Bad news, she’s got food poisoning. If she comes into work tonight she contaminates the evidence.” The other two swore and grumbled as they gathered their evidence. Eddie frowned as he went back over his notes. He hoped Barry would be feeling better soon. He stepped back under the tape as he headed for his car. His phone rang and he glanced at the caller id before answering, it was Joe.

“Hey partner, you at the crime scene on the bridge?” 

“I’m just leaving actually. According to the witnesses the Flash made off with the perp. After she bled all over the bridge. He heard Joe let out a low swear and nodded. 

“That’s what I thought. But the CSI’s don’t know if they can get anything off the blood stains. Whoever the Flash is she’s smart, poured bleach over every bloodstain that was hers. Oh and apparently Barry got food poisoning.” 

“How do you know that?” Eddie shrugged as he buckled his seat belt and put his phone on speaker.

“One of the other CSI’s called her to see if she could come in tonight and double check the blood samples, they told me.” Joe grunted in acknowledgement.

“Thanks for letting me know partner. I’m gonna go check on her then I’ll head in and help you go over the eyewitness reports.” Eddie nodded.

“That would be great, thanks Joe.” Joe nodded and hung up, already hopping in his car and heading for Star Labs.


End file.
